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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/23615599">Pick me up (from the ground and into your arms)</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/lelevex/pseuds/lelevex'>lelevex</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Hit the ground runnin’ [1]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Banana Fish (Anime &amp; Manga)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>(slight) Angst with a happy ending, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Ash cries a bit, Fluff, M/M, Post-Canon Fix-It, Rebuilding, Reunion, hug it out bros</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-04-12</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-04-12</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-02 16:42:31</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>2,182</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/23615599</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/lelevex/pseuds/lelevex</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>In which Ash misses Eiji, so he works hard as hell to see him again</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Ash Lynx/Okumura Eiji</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Hit the ground runnin’ [1]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1699906</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>6</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>126</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Pick me up (from the ground and into your arms)</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>      A lot had happened since Eiji had left for Japan. The original plan was for Ash to join him once everything was settled, debts and disasters are settled into dust. But fate has a funny way of working.</p><p> </p><p>      It was a headache to deal with, aggressive investors in Golzine's fraud companies lashed out at Ash, claiming that he had no hold over them and thus the company. It made him want to laugh, because said companies had made him the heir and granted him access to the financial power to crush these investors. But he settled, working out deals over business dinners over long strenuous weeks.</p><p>      It was routine. He would flirt, act bashful and seduce the investors into signing a deal. Doing this over and over again made him numb, as if seducing older men came with the job, and he hated it. The only solace to this work was the signed deal at the end, he'd learned from early mistakes: get a written agreement, verbal agreements meant shit with these men. It was funny, how a simple touch and a few choice words could coerce someone into doing anything and Ash almost felt sorry for how easily he could wrap them around his fingers.</p><p>      He made sure to never touch the drinks during these dinners, knowing that these types of people wouldn't think twice about spiking his wine. Regardless, after copious amounts of shameless flirting he always left with a contract in hand.</p><p>      He returned to the apartment a little after one, the final investor finally subdued into signing after a few too many drinks. He loosened his tie (a dark red one borrowed from Max) and unbuttoned the top bottoms of his shirt. Throwing his blazer on the floor Ash collapsed onto one of the beds in the bedroom. It took him a second to realise that it was Eiji's bed, and Eiji's picture frame on the nightstand tells him that he has the wrong bed but by now Ash was too tired to move. </p><p>      Eiji's bed was more comfortable anyways.</p><p> </p><p>      There were little speckles of Eiji all around the apartment, from a picture frame on his nightstand to the pots and pans in the kitchen. Ash hasn't cooked at all since Eiji had left, food being either brought to him by Max or brought to him via delivery. He blamed it on tiredness, dealing with dirty businessmen for weeks before everything is almost finished.</p><p>      Sighing, Ash goes back to bed after pouring himself a sad bowl of cereal for breakfast. It's a day off so he opts for Eiji's bed, as he's forbidden from contacting the boy until everything settles into dust and he wants to cling onto the remnants of tangible Eiji left in the apartment. And so his bed remains untouched for the weeks to come. </p><p>      Ash calls on Blanca for help soon after dwelling in sad, soggy cereal for a while. He needs a shadow to cover him while he's gone, someone who knows enough but won't ask any further questions - wether that be from intimidation or a lack of curiosity. </p><p>      They started the next day, Ash holding meetings and having Blanca step in for him. He pulls the "too busy for your time so I have someone to represent me" card and it works. After a week has gone by, they find a successful shadow, a young gentleman named James Gallagher - nicknamed 'Gally' by those he dealt with - who knew not to say anything. He was an Irish bloke, ginger hair attracting attention when needed and he was settled into the position after a dinner and a handshake. Gally knew his place, and Ash liked that about him.</p><p>      He returned from dinner with Gally at eleven, and he was greeted with an empty apartment with no Eiji waiting for him to come home. Lying on Eiji's bed Ash's need to see him surmounted into something slightly out of hand as he imagined glow in the dark stars stuck to the ceiling like the ones Eiji said were stuck in his bedroom.</p><p>      He was almost done and the finish line was in sight. Eiji was just out of reach.</p><p> </p><p>      The gang was the easiest part, those people listened and respected him so stepped down from being the Boss wasn't difficult. Alex stepped up and took on the legacy Ash had left behind, and all of the boys knew why he was leaving.</p><p>      Cain Blood was a man of respect, and he respected Ash. The meeting with him went well, with Blood saying he'd uphold the truce they had against Golzine, and Ash had never felt more grateful towards the New York streets. He owed Blood, he knew, but freedom was priceless and he was glad that the man understood that.</p><p>      Sing was harder to deal with. The kid didn't like him, and Ash knew it was because of what happened to Shorter, but that didn't excuse Sing from being a pain in the ass to deal with. No amount of deals or shitty compromises got Sing to agree to a truce between their two gangs. It was infuriating, as Ash couldn't leave without knowing that his boys would be fine. He didn't want a repeat of what happened to Skipper.</p><p>      Sing finally agreed to a truce when Ash mentioned Eiji. He'd said it was for Eiji, and Sing's posture kind of fell and he sighed and relented. It made Ash smirk as the realisation that Sing probably had a crush on Eiji suddenly crossed his mind. It was funny, how his crush made him blind to others crushing on Eiji. How one boy made his world spin.</p><p>      Somehow, the apartment seemed brighter that night.</p><p> </p><p>      But the apartment wasn't always bright. Most days off would be spent huddled up in bed, lights off, and trying not to dwell in the incidents with Golzine. </p><p>      Trauma wasn't fun to deal with, especially when trying to free himself from said trauma meant facing it directly. The investors, the dinners, watching out for spiked drinks, suggestive words, and even Blanca were enough to send Ash cascading down a spiral. </p><p>      God, it was difficult to pick himself up sometimes. But no one saw him like this, a shivering husky hidden beneath forgiving blankets and unforgiving memories, until he one day he made a mistake. It wasn't a big mistake, a usual routine where Max had dropped off some take out for Ash to eat as cooking was never his strong suit.</p><p>      His mistake was not hearing the door open (curse spare keys) even if he was deep rooted into his childhood memories. A gun, a coach, baseball, and a whole lot of blood.</p><p>"Ash?" Max called out his name, walking into the apartment with a bag of leftovers from Chang Dai. He placed the bag down on the kitchen counter and slowly walked towards the bedroom, where the door was left slightly ajar.</p><p>      He found Ash wrapped up in a cocoon of blankets, shaking slightly. The lights were off but Max could faintly see that Ash's mind was not in a good place. His eyes were far away, the lights were on but no one was home.</p><p>      Speaking of lights, Max turned on the lights and rushed towards Ash.</p><p>"Hey, hey Ash," he pushed the blanket off Ash's shoulders, "ground yourself. You are at home, safe. Not wherever you think you are. You are not in danger."</p><p>      Max looked up to see Ash blinking, coming back to himself as he registered the lights and the cold air of the room. He noticed Max in front of him, worry etched onto his face.</p><p>"What are you doing here old man," he asked, pulling the blanket back around his shoulders, "fuck it's cold."</p><p>"It's a Tuesday. I came to bring you dinner," Max paused, "are you okay?"</p><p>"Yeah," Ash grumbled, getting up and walking towards the kitchen. "Just another fucking flashback."</p><p>"You looked pretty shaken up," Max commented, watching Ash unpack the leftovers.</p><p>"It's nun of ya business dad," Ash said, placing the food in the microwave. Timer set to one minute.</p><p>"Well son, this isn't the first time I've seen you like this," Max sighed, "Eiji's not here right now."</p><p>"I know he's not fucking here," Ash growled through gritted teeth. "I know," he said, quieter this time.</p><p>      The timer for the microwave went off, and Ash pulled out the plate of food and started eating.</p><p>"I'm gonna see him soon," Ash said.</p><p>"Yeah." Max paused. He knew that Ash wasn't allowing himself to contact Eiji until everything was sorted, but reports from Ibe showed that Eiji was struggling too. But before he could speak up, Ash beat him to it.</p><p>"Why're you're still here?" Ash asked.</p><p>"Wanted to check on my eldest son," Max grinned. He stood up and ruffled Ash's hair (much to the other's annoyance), "I'll see myself out,"</p><p>"Good riddance," Ash said, "don't get yourself jailed again."</p><p>      Then the door shut and Ash was left in the dark again.</p><p> </p><p>      It was a few weeks later, a day off after pulling some strings to get his new id ready, when his phone lit up with a message from an unknown number.</p><p>      Now Ash was cautious, but the message brought down his guard quicker than he put it up. It was a simple "Call me - Eiji" but it did wonders to Ash. If this wasn't a pick-me-up he didn't know what was. All in all, he called the number pretty quickly.</p><p>"Hey," Ash said as soon as the call went through.</p><p>"You called," Eiji said and Ash could almost see him smiling.</p><p>"Of course, why wouldn't I?" Ash leaned back on the bed, staring up at the ceiling.</p><p>"Because Ibe-san said that you didn't want to call me after I left, and as soon as I landed in Japan I heard about the incident in the library," Eiji said, "I was scared."</p><p>"I didn't want to worry you," Ash said.</p><p>      And they talked for hours, with Ash laughing for the first time in months. It felt good and Ash felt like he was flying.</p><p> </p><p>      The original plan was for Ash to join Eiji once everything was settled into dust but alas the pros of living in America outweighed those of living in Japan. It was easier as well, for Eiji to move. He wouldn't have to worry about a criminal record like Ash would.</p><p>      Of course, a slight uproar emerged among the gangs (mainly Sing as Alex and Cain weren't as bothered by it) once the decision was made but they quieted down once they knew that Eiji was the one who proposed the idea - he had everyone wrapped around his finger, Ash included. The fruitions of months of work and nightmares and lonely apartments would finally pay off once Eiji arrived in New York.</p><p>      Ash didn't allow himself to see Eiji at the airport with the advice of Max in fear of making a scene. He convinced himself it was fine, but the desperation from not seeing Eiji in over half a year was slowly becoming more than he could handle. Especially when Eiji sent him a text saying that he successfully landed in New York. They were in the same city. Same state. Same country. Same continent. They weren't on opposite ends of the world anymore and soon they would be in the same room.</p><p>      It's roughly half an hour later when someone knocks on the door and Ash almost runs to open it. He calms down though and opens the door to be greeted with fluffy hair and the brightest smile on Earth. </p><p>      It takes everything for him not to start crying but then Eiji steps inside with his suitcase and the door shuts behind him, locking automatically.</p><p>"I missed you," Eiji says and his voice breaks in a way that breaks Ash's heart.</p><p>"Fuck I missed you," Ash says and he tries to keep himself from crying but Eiji is here with him and he's not going away again.</p><p>      So Eiji pulls him into the tightest hug and Ash wraps his arms around Eiji's waist, burying his face in the base of Eiji's neck as the waterworks start because he's suddenly so fucking relieved. He can feel Eiji's own tears against his skin as they just stand there basking in lost time.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>      College is annoying, the classes are bearable but the people are not and Ash thinks that this is the most challenging thing he's done in all his twenty years of living. Instead of leaving him alone his classmates talked to him, flirted, and asked for his notes but street smarts told him to act cold until the leeches move on to other prey.</p><p>      The days were tiring, but the knowledge was exhilarating and getting an education had always been one of the things he'd never thought he'd achieve. But of course, Eiji was there to guide him through it. </p><p>      It was alright, because Ash knew that when he needed a little pick me up Eiji would be right there at home waiting for him.</p>
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